Infusion package



Dec. 28, 1954 J. -v. MALONEY 2,698,082

INFUSION PACKAGE Filed Feb. 27, 1952 INVENTOR. Jsz n YM/u 0M5;

M Lo/ffw I 17 70944526.

United States PatentO seats: V .lNrusroNrAckAon. v Joseph V.Maloney,'Frankl in, Ind. Application February 27, 19512, Serial No.273,517- 6 CIaims (crane- 0.5

This invention relates to an infusioncontainer adapted for useas asingle-service package, embodying an envelope 'or bag containingaquantity of tea, coffee, -or other infusion material, and a dishedreceptacle pivotally connectedthereto. w i

In the Well knownand widely-used tea bag, the tea is contained in a bagor envelope which is connected'by a string'to a tag or label. The tagand'the string are used to manipulate the bag, to immerse it in a cup orpot of hot water or other infusion liquid, and especially to withdraw ittherefrom when the 'brew has reached the desiredstrength. Such bags,with their attached strings,

present an awkward problem in packaging, for the strings tend to becomeentangled and the user has difficulty separating one bag from a group inthe package.

In use,.especially at the dining table, when the*bag is withdrawn fromtheliquid in a cup, the useris presented with a troublesome" problem ofwhat to do with the wet and dripping bag." Usually, the bag is'put inthe saucer, with the result that liquid drains from it'to the bottom ofthe saucer and wets the bottom of the cup, and when theuser lifts thecup to drink from it, the cup drips.

It is an object of my invention to provide an infusion container orsingle-service package which will include a bag that may beused in.thesame general way as prior 2,698,082 Patented Dec. 28, 1954 Fig.- 3 isanisometric view of an infusion package embodying my invention, in whichthe bag is attached to the receptacle byastapleg Fig. 4 is anisometricview showing a package embodying my"invention,-in' which-theconnected end of the bag is received beneath'a bentover tab on thereceptacle, and in which the parts areheld together by a-staple;'and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 in which the parts are held togetherby a water-insoluble adhesive.

The infusion bag shown in the drawing is in the form of a rectangularenvelope desirably of somewhat greater length than width and containinga single-service quantity 11 of tea, coffee, or other infusion'material.The attached end of the bag 10 desirably has a flat marginal portion 12somewhat-wider than that at other edges of the bag, but otherwisethe bagclosely resembles an teabags, in combination with areceptacle directlyconnected to' it to form a unitary package. It is an object of myinvention to..provide..a unitary package which will convenientlystackwithothers inaggroup package. and will be easily separated andremoved therefrom. It is an object of my invention to provide a combinedinfusion bag and dished receptacle so related that the unit may bemanipulated with one hand to immerse the bag in a cup or pot of liquidand to withdraw the bag therefrom, and so related that a simple pivotalmovement of the receptacle as the unit is withdrawn will cause the wetbag to enter the receptacle and be so received therein that the unit maybe set on the table with the bag and its drippings wholly contained inthe receptacle.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a dished receptacle,preferably (but not necessarily) of rectangular shape and preferablywith a handle tab along one edge, with the receptacle of a size toreceive a bag containing the infusion material; I place a bag therein,preferably with a flat marginal portion of the bag lying against the tabof the receptacle; and I join the bag to the receptacle at one edge,preferably at the tab, by a direct pivotal connection. The receptaclecontains the dry bag during packaging and distribution, and may benested with others in a market-size package; and the direct pivotalconnection provides that after use the receptacle can be moved with onehand through a simple pivotal movement as by its handle tab, to causethe wet bag to enter the receptacle in a position where both it and anydrainings from it will be contained in the receptacle. The receptacle isdesirably made of a liquid-impervious --material, and may have anabsorbent inner surface or lining. The receptacle serves as a convenientlabel, to carry printed instructions and other label information.

The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention. In such drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the operation of immersing in a cupof liquid the infusion bag of a package embodying my invention;

jg. 2- is a side elevation with parts in section, showing the bag inposition in a cup of liquid;

envelope type bag of a type now on the market. Because of thisresemblance, the'bag I use-may bemade on-the same machines as those nowin use, indeed the bag itself may be identical with those of this typenow on the market. The bag 10 is attached by its marginal end '12 to adished receptacle 14, with the bag'10 resting in the receptacle 14as-shownin Figs. 3 to 5. The receptacle 14 is desirably of sufficientvolume to contain the filled portion of the bag wholly below the-planeof itstop edges, and is of suificientrigidity to be seuf-sustaining andto permit it to be handled in the manner noted below.

Desirably, the receptacle has an outwardly extending tab 16 at one end,to which the bag 10 may be attached and which serves as a handle for thecontainer. The receptacle maybe made'of any of a number of materials,and by various methods. Conveniently, it may be molded ofpaper orplastic stock. The stock may be water resistant, or may be given a waterresistant coating. It may be made of water-absorbent stock, and coatedonly on the outside so that after use it will absorb liquid which drainsfrom the wet bag. Both the bag and the receptacle should be made oftaste free material, to avoid contaminating the taste of the infusionmaterial.

The receptacle 14 may be of any desired shape. It is desirably of therectangular tray-like'shape as shown, especially when it is combinedwith a recentagular envelope-type bag. Its bottom is flat, or otherwiseformed to provide a stable base on which it may rest in upright,liquid-retaining position. It is desirably somewhat longer and widerthan the bag so that the bag 10 will not project beyond its sides orends.

In Fig. 3, the bag 10 is attached to the single-layer tab 16 by a singlestaple 18, positioned parallel to the attached edge of the bag 12 andparallel to the edge of the tab 16. In Fig. 4, the receptacle 14 isprovided with a somewhat longer tab 16 the outer end 20 of which is bentover the edge 12 of the bag 10 and held by a single staple 22.

Instead of a staple to connect the tea bag 10 and receptacle 14, awater-insoluble adhesive may be used, in either of the arrangements ofFigs. 3 and 4, whether or not a tab portion is bent over the marginaledge 12 of the bag. The use of adhesive is illustrated in Fig. 5. As inFig. 4, the receptacle 14 carries an elongated tab 16 whose outer end 24is bent over the edge 12 of the bag 10. Here, however, the innersurfaces of the tab and its overlying portion 24 are coated withadhesive 25 which is caused to adhere to the opposite faces of themarginal edge 12 of the bag 10.

Various other attaching means may be used. For example, the porousmaterial from which some tea bags now on the market are made is coatedor impregnated with a heatsensitive adhesive, which under theapplication of heat and pressure closes the edges of the tea bag. Withan infusion bag of this material, the marginal end 12 of the bag may beattached to a tab or edge of the receptacle 14 by a similar applicationof heat and pressure.

The attachment between the bag 10 and the receptacle 14 provides apivotal connection therebetween, and desirably a hinge-type connectionin which the parts are constrained to relative movement about a singletransverse pivotal axis, indicated by a dashed line A-A in Fig. 3. Inthat Fig. 3, the constraint to relative ,is grasped at the movement in asingle plane is provided by the use of a two-pronged staple 18 arrangedparallel to'the edge of the marginal portion 12 of the bag 10. In Fig.4, it is provided by the inward edge of the overlying portion 20 of thetab, and in Fig. by the similar edge of the overlying portion 24 of thetab. Such constraint to pivotal movement of the bag with respect to thereceptacle is preferred but is not deemed essential to the desiredmanipulation, for the same result will be effectively obtained when theoverlying margin 12 and tab are grasped between the thumb and finger ofthe user as shown in Fig. 1.

The bag normally lies within the dished receptacle 14, preferably withthe bulky filled portion of the bag below the top edges of thereceptacle 14, which gives the unit package a regular shape. The outerwalls of the receptacle desirably slope outward to permit partialnesting between the several packages in a stack, which tends to preventdisplacement of the package from the stack. A plurality of unit packagesmay be stacked in a market-size package in a regular and orderlyarrangement, and the partial nesting between them will maintain them ingood order in the package. There will be no strings to get tangled, andthe individual unit package will be readily separable and removable fromthe package.

Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate .the use of my new package. For immersing thebag in a cup of liquid, the package attachment edge, as by its tab 16,between the thumb and finger of the user, and is held in a dependingposition. The relatively rigid receptacle 14 is swung downward andrearward to an inverted position, which leaves the bag hanging free.With the bag in this position relative to the receptacle, it can readilybe lowered into the cup with the receptacle passing downward outside thecup. The package is then left hooked over the edge of the cup as isshown in Fig. 2, with the bag it) inside the cup and the receptacle 14outside the cup, and with the tab 16 in an upstanding position above thecup. When the infusion has reached the desired strength, the package isagain grasped by the tab and lifted clear of the cup, and the receptacleis swung forward and upward to carry the receptacle against thedepending bag 10 and to cause the bag 10 to enter the I receptacle 14.Further pivotal movement brings the receptacle 14 with the wet bagtherein to a horizontal or upright position. In that position it may beset on the table or on any horizontal surface, and the wet bag and anydrainings therefrom will be wholly contained and confined Within thereceptacle 14. The whole operation is a simple one-handed operation, andthere is no need for the user to grasp the wet bag.

I claim as my invention:

1. An infusion package, comprising an infusion container having aflexible marginal portion, a dished receptacle of a size to receive thecontainer, a handle-tab at one edge of the receptacle, the containerbeing received in the receptacle with the flexible marginal portionthereof contiguous to the tabbed edge of the receptacle, and meansaflixing the marginal portion and the tabbed edge together.

2. An infusion package, comprising an infusion container having amarginal portion, a dished receptacle of a size to receive thecontainer, a projecting handletab at one edge of the receptacle, thecontainer being received in the receptacle with a flexible marginalportion thereof overlying said tab, and means aifixing the marginalportion of the container to the tab.

3. An infusion package as defined in claim 2 in which the inner surfaceof the infusion container is absorbent.

4. An infusion package as defined in claim 2 in which said receptacleand container are of generally rectangular shape and said marginalportion and tab are at a short side of the rectangular shape.

5. An infusion package, comprising an infusion container having astraight attachment edge, a dished receptacle of a size to receive thecontainer and having a straight edge, said container being received inthe receptacle with its straight attachment edge in juxtaposition withthe straight edge of the receptacle, and means hinging the container andreceptacle together on an axis extending along said juxtaposed straightedges, said hinge constraining the container to relative movement intoand out of the receptacle in a plane normal to the plane of thereceptacle.

6. An infusion package as defined in claim 5 in which the inner surfaceof the infusion container is absorbent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,006,678 Kaeppler July 2, 1935 2,072,976 Andrus Mar. 9, 19372,199,406 Jablon May 7, 1940 2,309,965 Lee Feb. 2, 1943 2,476,774 SearsJuly 19, 1949

